lotsa terms are thrown into the round however the experience shows that for the most part there're grossly misunderstood. The very foundation of our profession is discipline e.g. the ability to carry out very much same routine day by day for a single purpose reduce potential errors.
Airmanship is skill and knowledge applied to aerial navigation, similar to seamanship in maritime navigation. Airmanship covers a broad range of desirable behaviors and abilities in an aviator. It is not simply a measure of skill or technique, but also a measure of a pilot’s awareness of the aircraft, the environment in which it operates, and of his own capabilities.
Airmanship can be defined as:
A sound acquaintance with the principles of flight, the ability to operate an airplane with competence and precision both on the ground and in the air, and the exercise of sound judgment that results in optimal operational safety and efficiency.
The three fundamental principles of expert airmanship are skill, proficiency, and the discipline to apply them in a safe and efficient manner.
Discipline is the foundation of airmanship.
The complexity of the aviation environment demands a foundation of solid airmanship, and a healthy, positive approach to combating pilot error.
It's resulted in the new approach to CRM called TEM. ergo always be ahead of your aircraft and be able to predict. As for simple compliance of SOP it's not negotiable and not subjective but a must. Any deviation from such is possible but must be warranted and justifiable let alone safe. Wearing the headset is a matter of discipline not convenience. However it always will come down to an individual attitude no matter how many rules are in place. It's the job of the standard dep, QA and training dep. to weed out bad apples.
